Month: August 2016

Here we are, all the way into the August of another year. The garden is exploding.

I think that a vegetable garden shouldn’t just be functional…it should be pretty to look at. So come see how my garden grows…and shows.

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And, yes, I’m here to suggest you put that salt grinder down.

Herbs. I love.

Here’s my case for the herbal sense of taste: Herbs add just the right tang of green to food. They may be sublime ingredients, but they’re not shy or retiring. They’re free-spirited and supernal, divinely edible and summer-sweet healthy.

It’s August 29, so let’s all celebrate MoreHerbs, Less Salt Day. Call it a passion-raising plug for a finer solution.

Just a little rosemary, thyme, or oregano will enrich a dish as much as a heavy dose of salt.

Dogs vs Kids, a Kristof column, got me thinking about how to help those kids. None of this is their fault.Sending money to the aid groups with people on the ground in Syria is the most immediate way to help kids like Omran.

Doctors from the Syrian American Medical Society (SAMS) treated Omran at a hospital they support in Aleppo. They operate 106 medical facilities in Syria, providing both general and specialised care. In 2015, they treated an estimated 2.6 million Syrians.

Dubbed The White Helmets, Syria Civil Defence is an organisation led by 2,900 volunteer search and rescue workers. Its “hero fund” goes towards providing treatment for volunteers injured while helping civilians and supporting the families of those killed.

The IRC has been working in Syria since 2012, with programmes led by cross-border teams in Iraq, Turkey and Jordan. Last year, it helped more than 1.4 million Syrians, including 16,000 female survivors of assault and abuse.

The charity has launched its largest ever appeal for children affected by the conflict in Syria. Donations to the charity go towards delivering food, vaccines and water. In 2015, it treated 13,000 children for malnutrition.

In its largest ever emergency response, Save the Children helps to keep schools running in Syria as well as providing basic essentials and specialist emotional support for children. It estimates that it has helped more than 500,000 children in the country.